On his 710 ESPN Seattle radio show, Carroll gave every indication that Harvin wouldn't return for the playoffs. But he had a completely different message later in the day.

"Percy will practice with the intention of playing next game," Carroll said. "It has come to that point. He wants to contribute on this team."

On Monday morning, Carroll sounded discouraged about Harvin.

"It's been a very difficult struggle for Percy," Carroll said on his radio show. "It's a personal thing right now.

"He has worked really hard to get back but has not been able to make it over the hump. He's going to need the offseason to really get back to full strength. We will have an extraordinary football player ready to go next year. We will take a look this week and see where we are and then know more."

By Monday afternoon, Carroll was much more optimistic.

"It will be a great thing for him [if he plays]," Carroll said. "This guy is a true competitor. To his credit, he has not given up on it. He's at a place where he has a chance. We'll see what happens."

Harvin took to Twitter to say he plans to be back for the Seahawks' divisional-round playoff game.

In what has been one of the most successful seasons in Seahawks history, Harvin clearly has been the biggest disappointment with a hip injury that limited him to a few plays in one game against his former Minnesota teammates Nov. 17.

Harvin, who signed a $67 million, six-year deal with Seattle in March, had major hip surgery Aug. 1 to repair a torn labrum. He has not played again since returning six weeks ago because of soreness and inflammation in his hip.

"It's way more complicated than just that," Carroll said. "It was major surgery, and people sometimes take years to get over it. He's trying to do it in months. And not just to be a normal person walking down the street. It's a very delicate situation. There's no game plan here and no strategy. We're just pulling for him."